Tag: LSU in NBA

LSU forward Tari Eason selected by Houston Rockets with No. 17 pick in the 2022 NBA draft

Eason becomes the highest drafted Tiger since Ben Simmons went No. 1 in 2017.

Standout sophomore LSU forward [autotag]Tari Eason[/autotag] wasn’t a lottery pick during Thursday night’s 2022 NBA draft, but he didn’t have to wait long after.

The transfer from Cincinnati, who was voted as the SEC’s sixth man in 2021-22, was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 17th overall pick, a spot which several recent mocks projected he could go. He becomes the highest-drafted Tiger since [autotag]Ben Simmons[/autotag] went with pick No. 1 in 2016.

He’s the second first-round pick from LSU in the last two seasons after [autotag]Cameron Thomas[/autotag] went to the Brooklyn Nets at No. 27 last year.

The Rockets finished last season 20-62 and had the worst record in the Western Conference. They also picked at third overall, a selection they used on Auburn forward Jabari Smith. Houston has some young pieces but remains in the middle of a rebuild. In Eason, it lands a high-upside player who may need to develop a bit to become a starter in the NBA.

After a relatively quiet freshman season with the Bearcats, he had a huge campaign with LSU this season. He averaged 16.9 points per game with 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He mostly came off the bench despite averaging 24.4 minutes, and his tendency to get into foul trouble played a role in that.

Still, this seems like a good opportunity for Eason to develop on a roster where the expectations will not be extraordinarily high, at least not immediately.

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Tari Eason continues to climb boards ahead of 2022 NBA draft

Eason ranked No. 11 on the most recent 247Sports draft board.

With the NBA draft lottery being completed on Wednesday night and the combine going on this week in Chicago, next month’s draft will be here before we know it.

For LSU fans, all the eyes will be on forward [autotag]Tari Eason[/autotag]. The transfer from Cincinnati had a breakout sophomore season, winning the SEC Sixth Man of the Year award, and he is likely to hear his name called in the first round of the draft.

Originally slated as a mid-to-late round pick, Eason has seen his stock increase quite a bit in the last few weeks. He’s now seeing fairly regular lottery projections and in the most recent draft board from 247Sports’ Travis Branham, he sits at No. 11.

Key attributes: Defensive versatility, NBA-ready body, athleticism, motor

Stats: 16.9 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.1 BPG, 1.9 SPG (52.1% FGs, 35.9% from three)

Tari Eason has a chance to be one of the best defenders in this entire class and he has found ways to be productive on the offensive end as well. He isn’t the most polished scorer but his size, strength, athleticism and activity level create scoring opportunities and he has developed his jumper.

Eason is certainly a dominant defensive player as he was a semifinalist for national player of the year in that category. He also finished in the top 10 among SEC players in terms of scoring average.

He could boost his stock even more in Chicago this week, but regardless, his wait on June 23 shouldn’t be very long.

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Tari Eason goes top-10 in this recent NBA mock draft

Eason’s stock seems to be rising as we’re just over a month out from the draft.

The 2022 NBA draft is just over a month away, and one player who could continue to see his stock rise in that span is [autotag]Tari Eason[/autotag].

The former LSU forward has an interesting profile as far as a potential lottery pick is concerned. He came off the bench for the Tigers during his lone season in Baton Rouge after transferring in from Cincinnati, but that didn’t stop him from having a dominant campaign.

He led the Tigers in scoring with 16.9 points per game, which also ranked sixth in the SEC. He was named the conference’s Sixth Man of the Year and was one of the nation’s top defensive players in addition to his scoring prowess.

His well-rounded skill set makes him an intriguing prospect in this year’s draft, and in the latest mock from CBS Sports’ David Cobb, he’s projected as the ninth pick to the San Antonio Spurs.

Eason enjoyed a breakout sophomore season after transferring to LSU from Cincinnati. He can score at all three levels and is a high-upside, versatile defender. His college coaches employed him as a sixth man, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Eason cast in the same role at the next level. At 6-8, he’s like a perimeter-oriented Montrezl Harrell in terms of motor, grit and the type of role he may play.

While some may use the “sixth man” stigma against him, there’s nothing wrong with drafting a guy with a clearly defined role in mind, and it’s certainly a role that allowed Eason to flourish during his second college season.

He was one of 76 players invited to the combine next weekend, which will give him the chance to boost his stock even further. But for a player who was originally seen as a mid-late pick in the first round, Eason’s profile is beginning to rise, and we may see more high projections like this one in the coming weeks.

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2 former LSU players crack ESPN’s Top 76 all-time NBA players list

Find out where the pair of LSU stars landed in ESPN’s rankings.

With the NBA celebrating its 75-year anniversary at All-Star Weekend, ESPN released a list of the top 76 players in that time span. Former LSU basketball stars “Pistol” Pete Maravich and Shaquille O’Neal cracked the list, with Maravich coming in at No. 54 and O’Neal at No. 11.

Maravich was an outstanding basketball player in college. In his first game at LSU, he got a triple-double, scoring 50 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, and dished out 11 assists. In three years with the Tigers, Maravich averaged 44.2 points per game. He led the NCAA in scoring all three seasons and won the National Player of the Year Award two times and SEC Player of the Year three times.

He played 11 seasons in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans/Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics. Unfortunately, his NBA career was cut short due to injuries, but Maravich still managed to lead the NBA in scoring with 31.1 points per game during the 1976-77 season. Maravich made four All-NBA honors and was a five-time All-Star.

Meanwhile, O’Neal was a two-time All-American and two-time SEC Player of the Year at LSU. In 1991 he was named AP Player of the Year. O’Neal averaged 21.6 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 4.6 blocks per game in three years with the Tigers.

O’Neal went on to play 20 seasons and the NBA and won four championships. He was a 15-time All-Star, won the MVP award once, and Finals MVP three times. O’Neal is one of the most dominant players to ever play in the NBA with his size, quickness, and strength.

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Former LSU star Ben Simmons reflects on his time in Philadelphia

Simmons said he’s “moving forward” after divorce from the 76ers at the trade deadline.

Former LSU basketball standout Ben Simmons seemed to be off to a great start to his career.

After a one-and-done season with the Tigers, he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He didn’t play as a rookie due to injury, but over the next four seasons, Simmons would start and play in 275 games averaging 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game. He was named the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year and selected to the 2019-20 All-NBA team while also being a two-time All-Defensive first-team pick, and a three-time All-Star.

The 76ers made the playoffs all four years and made it to the conference semifinal game three out of four times.

All of the accolades are nice, but there is an elephant in the room that we haven’t addressed, and I don’t mean Alabama. It seems as though over the years, a rift was formed between the 76ers organization and Simmons.

That rift led to questions about whether he wanted to be in Philly and play or not. Simmons hasn’t played in a game for the Sixers this season, and trade rumors have been flying almost every day as he has been holding out for the entire 2021-22 season.

Those rumors finally came to a head last week, as just hours before the trade deadline on Thursday, the 76ers traded Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets for James Harden and Paul Millsap. Philly also gave up Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, a 2022 first-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick to get the deal done.

Simmons is now in Brooklyn with his new teammates, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. In one of his first press conferences as a member of the Nets, he was asked why things got so bad in Philadelphia.

“If I knew, I would tell you everything,” he said. “But, there’s just a lot of things internally that, you know, had happened, over time, and it just got to a place where I don’t think it was good for me mentally. So, it is what it is, it happened, and we’re moving forward.”

During Simmons’ one year with LSU, he averaged 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. He was named a First Team All-American and the SEC Freshman of the Year for his efforts.

The former Tigers star will hope better days are ahead as his career undergoes a new beginning in Brooklyn as part of a “Big 3” with Durant and Irving, two of the best players in the entire league.

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